MIVES multi-criteria approach for the evaluation, prioritization, and selection of public investment projects. A case study in the city of Barcelona

Sustainable construction management: A systematic review of the literature with meta-analysis

Approximately 4% of the private buildings in Hong Kong are older than their design lives of 50 years. In addition to the engineer- ing factor, the lack of timely maintenance and proper management has led to a serious problem of building dilapidation in the old urban areas. On account of the high-rise high-density urban setting in Hong Kong, the problem has engendered severe safety and health hazards for the local community. Although different ways of urban renewal or regeneration exist to revitalize the urban environment, it appears that redevel- opment is most frequently used. However, the speed of dilapidation would probably exceed the economy's capability of absorbing redevelopments. In addition, redevelopments have detrimental effects on the social fabric and create a large volume of demolition and con- struction waste that greatly surpasses the current landfill capacity in Hong Kong. A sustainable strategy for urban renewal is, therefore, urgently needed. This research aims to establish an existing profile of the building conditions in Hong Kong and evaluate the suitability of various urban renewal strategies for different buildings through the establishment of a structured building assessment scheme called the Dilapidation Index (DI). In total, 393 private residential buildings randomly selected from 4 districts in Hong Kong were assessed by using the DI. The results indicated that the assessed buildings in Sham Shui Po were more problematic than those in other districts. The results also suggested that physical conditions and management factors play nearly equal parts in differentiating the well-performing buildings from the dilapidated ones. The DI developed in this research is beneficial to different parties with an interest in the quality of the urban built environment because it can help people identify problematic buildings for further actions. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)UP.1943-5444 .0000104. © 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers. CE Database subject headings: Urban development; High-rise buildings; Rehabilitation; Hong Kong; Sustainable development. Author keywords: Urban renewal; Building conditions; Redevelopment; Building rehabilitation; Decision tool.

Achieving Sustainable Urban Renewal in Hong Kong: Strategy for Dilapidation Assessment of High Rises

Since the 1970s, growing concerns about urban development’s effects on the natural environment have been prompting efforts to find more sustainable solutions for the problems arising from the built environment. In this context, this work discusses the need to integrate innovative stormwater drainage practices with the urban planning process, especially regarding the limitation associated with the increase of impervious surfaces, while trying to handle the runoff generated by the urban sprawl. The interaction between urban growth and stormwater management is investigated, using a case study in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro to illustrate the main findings. To fulfill this objective, the present flooding scenario for this area is modified under two premises: considering a traditional drainage system approach, focusing on channelization measures, and a distributed stormwater management approach, based on the sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) concepts. Then, these two solutions are tested for their effectiveness under three different scenarios of future urban growth and land-use changes, ranging from uncontrolled urbanization to planned urban growth with land-use control. The capacity of these two approaches to maintain their design functions is verified for the proposed future urban patterns. The quantitative evaluation of urban flooding prospective scenarios is supported by mathematical modeling. From the results of the conducted simulations, one can confirm the crucial importance of land-use planning in the urban flood control process. Decentralized stormwater controls, although more resilient than traditional channelization measures, tend to fail in the long term if land-use planning is not properly addressed. A key element for flood control is the integration of drainage solutions with urban development, in a systemic way and considering the basin scale as the planning and design reference.

City Growth and Urban Drainage Alternatives: Sustainability Challenge

Planning in the USA

Since the beginning of the sustainability debate approximately 20 years ago, all parties involved in the urban planning process have been expected to devise sustainable solutions to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Potential to include sustainability criteria is present in the strategic planning stage and during the initial studies of a project. However, instruments available at these early stages are rare and show numerous weaknesses. The present study intends to close this gap by developing an instrument for the prioritization of sustainability criteria in urban planning processes. It is based on the Sustainable Building Tool 07 (SBTool 07), a comprehensive and well-established tool for the assessment of sustainability of construction projects, key issues pertaining to the initial planning stages are identified via a materiality matrix—a method established for corporate sustainability reporting. The resulting method has been tested in a competition in the Icelandic city of Reykjavik. Results include a materiality matrix on stakeholder priorities and the relevance of criteria to sustainability across the life cycle as well as a core set of 19 criteria to be addressed in Reykjavik.

Rolf Teloh

Papers

Prioritizing Sustainability Criteria in Urban Planning Processes: Methodology Application